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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

Ok, I was using Windows 2000 pro, and thought, "Hey, I have an extra hard drive, I'm gonna install Mandrake on it!" Well, I did. Unfortinately, I couldnt get the loader to give me the option to boot windows if I wanted to. I was feeling a serious need to do some Flash animation, so I tried deleting Mandrake to try to recover my Windows. According to all those partition managing utilities, my windows installation is still there. However, when I attempt to boot, instead of verifying the dmi, It spits out about six rows of 01010101010101010101010101.... I dont speak binary, but that doesn't seem to be a good thing. Please help.

did you try to :fdisk /mbr
to try and get back to windows? i think thats what your saying you want to do...and if not, then fire up mandrake, and depending on your bootloader edit the grub.conf or lilo.conf file in the /etc/ folder to add windows xp to the boot options..

Hi,
Your system will boot whatever is in the Master Boot Record (MBR). Windows has it's own loader on the MBR to boot windows. Normally in linux we use a loader, such as Lilo (linux boot loader) or Grub (grand unified boot loader), in the MBR to boot the system. I think either loader will boot both linux and windows but i read that grub is better for linux/winxp. To fix your problem you need a boot loader. You could use the windows loader by using the repair utility on a windows 2k / xp cd (just boot from the cd), you may be able to load this from a floppy disk. If you reinstall linux you can set up either grub or lilo on your MBR and boot windows / linux that way. (there are plenty - how do I use grub / lilo threads about).